The present invention generally relates to a strap arrangement for adjustably securing a boot to a binding. In an embodiment, an instep strap arrangement includes a lateral strap, an instep pad and a medial strap that cooperate to provide an adjustable binding strap that is comfortable and that performs well under a variety of conditions.
Conventional snowboard boot bindings include two or more straps to secure a riders' boot to a snowboard. Snowboard riders demand that their bindings provide high performance, comfort and are convenient to use. A binding system thus must securely attach a boot to the binding, allow the rider to maneuver the board by shifting weight, and be easy to secure and adjust, especially when first entering the binding or when adjusting the binding on a mountain slope during use.
A typical binding strap arrangement includes a toe strap and an ankle strap. The ankle strap may include an instep strap that is adjustably attachable to a mounting strap on one side and a serrated strap on the other side. The mounting strap typically includes an adjustment portion having a plurality of holes for attachment to a sidewall of a baseplate. In order to change the overall length of the ankle strap, an adjustment screw and nut arrangement is unfastened and removed, and then reinserted through a different one of the holes in the mounting strap. This type of binding design restricts adjustability because the number of holes that can be offered along the length of the mounting strap must be limited to minimize the chances of material failure, such as ripping, tearing or otherwise breaking. The opposite side of the instep strap typically includes a ratchet buckle for engaging with the serrated strap, which itself is mounted to the opposite side of the binding. The ratchet buckle is used to tighten the ankle strap over the instep or middle portion of a sports boot.
While such prior art binding strap arrangements have been effective, there is room for improvement. Manufacturers have therefore continued to develop binding strap configurations that provide better performance, comfort and convenience.